72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - Electric Scotland

CAMBRAI.
of Inchy, their front extending several thousand yards
north along the canal to the marshes in front of Marquion
on the Arras-Cambrai road, with the city of Cambrai some
seven miles away to the east.
With each shortening of his battle-line, the enemy s re
sistance had been growing stronger. Now he was down to
bed-rock. To lose his remaining hold on the Hindenburg
line to forfeit his grip on the large cities which now lay
so close behind the fighting and to lose command of the
crossings
of the immense line of canals which fronted the
attacking armies, would mean a fatal loss of morale among
his troops. His back was to the wall. If he could succeed
in maintaining his front intact at this period, he could hold
it till the spring. Failing this, defeat stared him in the
face.
The objective of the Canadian Corps lay from the west
ern suburbs of Cambrai northwards along the approximate
line Ramilies, Bantigny, Abancourt. To the 4th Canadian
Division was allotted the herculean task of forcing a cross
ing of the Canal du Nord, storming the historic Bourlon
Wood, and thence, by means of subsequent phases, driving
E.N.E. through Raillencourt, Saneourt, Blecourt and, if at
all possible, on to Bantigny ;
a distance altogether of about
eight and a half miles as the crow flies.
From these details may be gathered some idea of the
perilous greatness of the task set, and the vital importance
of the issues at stake. While at Wailly, the 72nd received
the plans of the operation before them, and officers and
senior N. C. O. s went forward on reconnaissances to ob
serve from a distance the ground over which the attack
was to be made. At 7:15 p.m. on the night of September
25th, the Battalion left its camp at Wailly and marched to
Arras station on the first leg of its move to the assembly
position.
On arriving at Arras station, it was found that the train
which was to convey them to the forward area was late.
137